No. 28, 2 September 2008  

AU part of Danish/Chinese research and education centre in China

Universities Denmark has initiated a project to set up a research and education centre in China. Head of Department Ole Fejerskov (Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, AU) has been appointed head negotiator and – on behalf of the universities – will negotiate with potential Chinese partner universities. The idea is to build up the project gradually until it is finalised in 2013. Financing is imagined to be shared between China and Denmark.
Read more about the project (in Danish only) here

Rector takes part in Euroscience and IAUP

Rector Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen has joined the Governing Board of Euroscience, which is the European equivalent of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS publishes the journal Science , and Euroscience has loose connections with the journal Nature . Euroscience has the ownership of <a href="http://www.esof2008.org/#WHAT-IS-ESOF.html EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF)main, which has previously been held in Munich, Stockholm and Barcelona, and which will be held in Torino in 2010.
In October, Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen takes up a position on the Executive Committee of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP). The rector is also Chairman of the Nordic Universities Association (NUS) and a member of the Board of the European University Association (EUA). These international posts are expected to contribute to AU’s international exposure.

The Danish government and the degree programme for teachers

Last Friday, the government’s working group for supplementary degree programmes for teachers published its report. At the same time, the Ministry of Education issued a media release with the heading “The government wants a new degree programme for teachers in collaboration between university colleges (professionshøjskoler) and universities”.
See the media release and report (in Danish only) here.

AU does not believe that the government’s proposal for a new degree programme for teachers involving universities and university colleges is ambitious enough. It creates the basis for a three-year Bachelor’s degree programme with subject proficiency at the universities followed by a year of education and practical training at the university colleges.

This means, for example, that it will be difficult to combine pedagogics with subject proficiency and didactics in the Bachelor’s component, and make use of knowledge and experience from the newly established Centre for Research in Compulsory Schooling at the School of Education, which AU would like to see playing a significant role in building up a supplementary degree programme for teachers.

AU is very interested in collaborating with the university colleges regarding a new degree programme for teachers, and therefore hopes that the forthcoming settlement negotiations lead to a more ambitious proposal for a supplementary degree programme for teachers.
See more about the Centre for Research in Compulsory Schooling (in Danish only) here.

Kind regards
The rectorate
2 September 2008

The rectorate publishes Rectorate News every Tuesday – apart from holidays and public holidays. This newsletter includes a brief description of current activities and discussions. You can sign up for the newsletter at http://info.au.dk/medarbbreve/index.asp?sprog=en, after which you will receive an e-mail whenever Rectorate News is issued.

The English version of Rectorate News is available every Wednesday at http://www.au.dk/en/uni/rectorate/newsletter.